Hartford Mayor Faults Handling Of Trinity Assault

After a vicious assault on a Trinity College sophomore a few months ago, suspicions turned toward neighborhoods near its Hartford campus. Hundreds of students rallied for tighter security. Police stepped up patrols. And the chairman of the college's board of trustees pledged to address safety concerns.

The investigation into the March 4 attack has not produced any arrests, but police are now investigating the possibility that fellow Trinity students beat the victim.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra and other city leaders say residents of the poor, ethnically diverse neighborhoods ringing the campus are right to feel that blame was unfairly cast upon them. The liberal arts college is taking steps to patch up its relationship with the community, but the episode remains a sore spot particularly for some Hispanic leaders.

"People should not make presuppositions before they have facts available to them to be able to draw a conclusion," the Puerto Rico-born Segarra said in an interview. "All people, whether it's the campus administration or whether it's the city, whether it's the community, people need to be more astute, not quick to pass judgment."